Grain-door



V. W. MILLER.

GRAIN DOOR FOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED 001.15.1911.

Patented May13, 1919.

INVENTOR. Y W/)ULLER ATTORNEY n: nomas PETERS co.. lwomumo., wAsumcmN. n. c.

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f "vAIinivTInn w. MILLER, or roNDA, iowA.

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To all 'whom it may concern: j Be it known that- I, VALENTINE vl/VflVIiL- LER, a citizen of thel UnitedStates,l and resident of F onda, Pocahontas county, Iowa, have invented a new and useful Grain- Door for Cars', of which 'the following is a specification. y

rThe object of this invention is to provide an improved grain-tight door for use on freight cars when said'cars are employed for the transportation of grain. f A further object lofthis invention is yto provide an improvedl multiple-section grain door the sections of which are adapted for successive movement to operative or inoperative position.

A further object -of this-invention is to provide improved means for slidingly mounting sections of a grain doorfor vertical movement in the 'door frame and for horizontal movement to inoperative position at the top of the car.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means for mounting-'a grain-door in a car.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in'which;

` Figure 1 is a through a portion of a car, showing one of my improved grain-doors in closing position. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of a car equipped with my improved doors, two sections or leaves of one of the doors being shown in suspended or inoperative position. Fig. 3 is an outer elevation of a portion of a car door frame and grain door therein. Fig. 4 ishan outer face view of one of the door sections detached, a portion being broken away to economize space. Fig. 5 is a horizontal detail section showing the means of slidingly mounting the door sections n the frame. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are on a scale enlarged relative to Figs. 1 and 2.

In the construction as shown the numeral 10 designates sills supporting floor boards 11, and the numeral 12 rafters carrying a roof 13 of a freight car of any common or well known con-struction, the side walls 14, 15 whereof are formed with doorways each having jamb posts 16, 17 and a header 18.

Metal plates 19, 20 are mounted against and Xed to the opposed faces of the jamb posts 16, 17 and said plates are formed with longitudinal vertical sectionA l j. `Specifu-:ationlof Letters Patent. Patented May 13, 1919, Ap'p'iic'ation ined october 15,1917. serial No. 196,637.

,to fit snugly between the jamb posts and slide with their ends in contact with the plates 19, 20, and adapted to restA in closing vposition one above another in the doorway.

Each door section 22 is provided at its ends with projecting headed studs 23, 24, which may be formed of bolts or lagscrews seated inV said door sections, the studs extending within and having their heads vertically slidable in the grooves 21. An angle iron 25 is secured to end portions of each door section 22 and has one iange overlying the end and the other flange overlying the end portion of the outer face of each of said sections. rIhe long margins of the door sections 22 preferably are formed with ogee curves, or are dovetailed or otherwise formed with interlocking surfaces to provide tight joints between the sections, as illustrated best in Fig. 2. v f

Metalposts 26, 27 are mounted against the opposing faces of the plates 19, 20 and adj acenty the outer margins thereof, and

' said posts preferably are formed of angle irons having one flange each projected toward the center of the doorway and serving as a stop to prevent outward displacement of the door sections, and as a brace and support for said sections as well as a reinforcement to the grooved plates 19, 20.

Plates 28, 29 are mounted transversely across the top of the car in the same vertical planes as the plates 19, 20 and are supported in any suitable manner, as by certain of the rafters 12. The plates 28, 29 are formed on their opposed faces with grooves 30 forming continuations of and connecting the vertical grooves 2l of the vertical plates, and of the same shape in cross-section.

In practical use the door sections. are mounted as shown with the headed studs 23, 24 extending and slidable within the grooves 21 and 30, and to close the door openings said sections are successively moved to position within the doorways and filling the spaces between the jamb posts thereof, the angle posts 26, 27 serving to form tight joints between the ends of the door sections and the plates 19, 20. The door sections are rst moved to the bottom ofthe doorway and then successively added as needed. Cleats 31, 32 may be secured to the car floor across the doorways in engagement with the lower margins of the lowermost door sections 22 and serving as stops, reinforcements and joint-closing Vmembers-therefor. When it is desired to move any or all of the door sections to inoperative position, `to open or partially open thev doorways, said sections are successively, ybeginning with ythe uppermost,` moved upwardly in the, doorways, the headed studs traveling in 4the grooves 21, -to the tops of the doorways,

and then are moved laterally inwar-.dlytof ward the center of the car, the headed studs .traveling in the communicating' grooves 80 and supporting said sections between the plates 28, 29. T-he studs 23, 21 preferably are above the centers of the v,door sections, as illustrated in Fig. 4, so that said sections Vtend to hang in vertical positions between the pla-tes 28, 29, and they may be positioned side by side in compact relations therebetween, entirely' out of the way of laborers orothers in the car, 'andgout of 'the way of loading ofthe car when yit is used fo'rloads other than' grain.` Thehorizonta'l grooves 3Q preferably are formed with 'depressed central 'portions or' seats 30 (Fig. Q) v,eiktending transversely lof `the car and adapted to receive the-door sections when not .in use and suspend them by 'their studs and prevent accidental displacement of the door sections from their inoperative positionir'igp` The horizontalwgrooves 30 'alsoi preferably tare formed attheir ends withldelnessed horizontal vporvi-ions..30P.at a lower level than the "main 'portions "of said grooves and below the headers 18, to facilitate the introduction of sections entirely to the tops of the doorways, by Yhorizontal sliding movement beneatlr the-headers ,y Notches Sfare formed in the outer flanges of the angle irons 25 on the door sections, and notches 34 are formed init-he outstanding-flanges vof the angle-posts Y26., 27, and whensaiddoorzsections are in :place inthe ydoor 'ways- -their notches A(,Jverlap upon fbut aire l faitslightly klower. elevation :than the notches 34 fof the' gposts, A Y pry :bar lorothe'r instrument is adapted to be inserted :infthe notches 34 of the lposts,1in :engagement with .the upper .margins of the vnotches-33 of vthe [door sections, to-faciflitate-ra-ising-of the door sections when the-car is loaded, the pry bar Y-fulc'ruming, or lbearinlg von the `Vlower ,margins of the notches 34: vginsuoh loper-ation, as will be clear-ly understood.` from the showing in Fig.' 3. Y Y

I clalm as myv invention-fV f A grain-car door, comprising amb memA bers formed :with vertical grooves, j angle bars; onn said'y jamb. memberslformed with transverseI 4Vnotches, sepa-rate door' vsections mounted for verticalgslidi-ngmovement between said )amb members. and formedwith .headed studs adapted tojjtravelyin -said grooves, and angle lplates-fi'Xed to and overlying end portions of said-,doorsectionsfand formed with transverse notchesoverlapping at times the notches the anglabare I VALENTINE lV. v MILLER.

Copiesof this 'patent may be obtained `for'lvetcents each, by addressing t'hejCellinigiifidtae'r bfi-Patenti 

